By Summary
X.com (formerly Twitter) has introduced a new feature that users of various social media platforms have requested for years – a handle marketplace. The new feature will soon allow you to claim an X.com handle that is no longer in use, possibly for free or a one-time fee. This is being described as an industry first feature, even though Reddit has allowed /r/RedditRequest for free for years, and might soon be replicated by Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and other social media systems that use handles.
Here’s how to get an inactive X.com user handle for yourself
1. Go to the X.com Handles Marketplace
On a desktop or laptop go to this URL for the official marketplace: https://handles.x.com/
The feature is not yet available on mobile apps, though likely will be available soon.
2. Signup for the Marketplace or Join the Waitlist
If you are a premium business (not a premium or premium+ subscriber) which has a gold checkmark, you should already have access to this system and you’ll supposedly get new claimed handles for free. If not, make sure to join the waitlist.
After joining the waitlist you’ll get this note from X.com in your email
Note: That right now a Premium Business subscription is $10,000 usd / year / account OR $1,000 / month. I am not sure if you can signup for 1 month, find a handle you want, then cancel your Premium Business subscription. This might be worth a try but would be risky.
3. Search for a Handle to Claim
Once you have access to the Handles Marketplace you can search for an inactive handle that you’d like to acquire.
I would recommend having an exact handle in mind.
You can find these by searching in the X search box, then visiting each handle. You are looking for handles that are suspended accounts, that have never posted, that only posted a few times a long time ago, or that haven’t posted to X/Twitter in years.
There are currently no third-party tools that would help you determine if an account is inactive.
Of note, X doesn’t clarify what makes an account inactive, though I would assume this has been added or will soon be added to the Terms of Service of the site and maybe even more broadly explained to users.
4. Request a Handle
After finding a handle that you want request it to be added to your subscription.
Only Premium+ subscribers and Premium Business subscribers can request a handle, though Premium subscribers are allowed to peruse the catalog and search for a handle.
This process is still a little unclear. I’m not sure if you’ll have to pay a fee like a domain auction or if the new handle will replace your current one (and if so if there’s any redirecting in place). Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait to see about this part until the marketplace is open to more users and we are granted access without paying $10,000 / year.
Editor’s Note: This marketplace is for handles that were once registered and have either been suspended or gone a long (undisclosed) period of not being used. You should always check to see if a handle is registered first and if you think it has not been registered attempt to register it.
Caveats and Issues:
If you’re a Premium+ subscriber and you cancel your subscription or downgrade, X.com does say they will claw back the handle and swap you back to your current one…
Why are you pursuing a rental model instead of a purchase model? pic.twitter.com/NkemBFmFXP
— Damian Mee (@meeDamian) October 19, 2025